Police Officer Involved Domestic Violence.
Lighting a candle of remembrance for those who've lost their lives to domestic violence behind the blue wall, for strength and wisdom to those still there, and a non-ending prayer for those who thought they had escaped but can't stop being afraid.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

...Stafford has posted a $5,000 personal recognizance bond and was released Wednesday. Police also took 13 guns from Stafford's home for safe keeping, including rifles, pistols and a shotgun...

LAFAYETTE COP ACCUSED OF TICKETING EX'S BOYFRIENDReport says officer texted to man: 'I will find you'Colorado DailyBy Amy BoundsJuly 31, 2008[Excerpts] A Lafayette police officer was arrested on suspicion of giving his ex's new boyfriend a traffic ticket, keeping both under "surveillance" and damaging the hood of her car during an argument, according to police reports. James Edward Stafford, 34, turned himself in Wednesday. He was arrested by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office on suspicion of harassment/stalking, official misconduct and criminal mischief related to domestic violence. The harassment count is a class 5 felony... Stafford, while driving an unmarked Lafayette police truck equipped with warning sirens, gave the woman's boyfriend a ticket for weaving. Stafford then sent the woman a text message that said, "Your boyfriend just received a ticket, ha ha," according to the arrest affidavit... In an interview with police, Stafford said he pulled the man over after he swerved over the yellow line into the oncoming lane of traffic, believing the man might be drunk. He told police he didn't know the driver was the new boyfriend until after he pulled the man over... The other charges stem from various incidents. Stafford tried to lure the boyfriend to the woman's home, impersonating her in text messages, according to police reports. He also scared her by punching a pillow next to her head after accusing her of cheating, she told police. In another incident, she told police she met Stafford and he started yelling at her in the street to "just hit me." As she backed away in her car, she told police, Stafford jumped on the hood of her truck, denting the hood and breaking her bug shield... Stafford denied damaging the woman's truck... In June, the woman told police, Stafford called her boss at Sonic and told him to fire her because she was stealing money and dating an employee. Last week, she told police, Stafford sent her text messages while she was at work that indicated he was watching her. This week, she told police, she found comments on his MySpace page that scared her, including that he's "going to take matters into his own hands." The Sonic employee told police he recently quit because he feared retaliation from Stafford. The employee said he was "terrified" after receiving a text message from Stafford stating, "I will find you"... The employee also said Stafford later followed him and confronted him about his relationship with the woman, with Stafford telling him, "I will be watching you like a hawk"... Stafford has posted a $5,000 personal recognizance bond and was released Wednesday. Police also took 13 guns from Stafford's home for safe keeping, including rifles, pistols and a shotgun. [Full article here]